The Omaha Police Department currently
has two Explorer Programs. There is a larger over-all program city-wide which
generally has approximately 30 members. The second

Explorer group is based out of North
High School and has 10 - 15 members. The second group works directly with the
North High School SRO.

The Explorers are taught numerous
subjects; i.e., report writing, building searches, arrest techniques and radio
procedures. This Program is designed to give students interested in criminal
justice an opportunity to determine if police work is the right career
path.

MC GRUFF

The Mc Gruff House Program is a national
program, based out of Utah. This Program is designed to provide a safe haven for
children who need emergency assistance. Residents of Omaha apply to be part of
the Mc Gruff House Program. Record checks are completed on all adults who reside
at their residence.

Those who pass the records check are
given a sign to display in a front window, letting children know the house is a
safe place to go if they need help. Omaha has over 1,000 Mc Gruff houses, making
it the largest in the country.

TEAM NEBRASKA

TEAM Nebraska is a new comprehensive
program designed to promote good citizenship, reduce drug usage and promote
positive interaction between the police, students and the

over-all community. The K-6 program will
be taught by uniformed police officers in five Omaha metropolitan area school
districts. TEAM is an acronym - To Educate And Motivate and is the work of a
metropolitan area-wide coalition of representatives from various organizations.
The program, modeled after the TEAM Program developed in Spokane, Washington,
consists of 14 lessons, 10 of which focus on drug prevention and resistance
education. The goal of the new program is to "Support safe and drug free
communities as we build personal responsibility in our young people."

2. How do you measure the programs’
effectiveness?

The evaluation of TEAM will begin in the
1998-99 school year. The purpose of this multi-year evaluation is to determine
the following:

1. Does the TEAM program help to promote
a good relationship between students and police officers?

2. Have students learned the material
outlined in the course?

3. Based on what they’ve learned, can
students make positive decisions?